Anishinaabe children share smiles, snowshoeing and culture with visiting Toronto hockey club

A group of Anishinaabe youth got the chance to show off their home to a visiting youth hockey team from Toronto earlier this month.

Youth in the Whitefish River First Nation, about 70 kilometers west of Sudbury, are relishing the opportunity to show their new friends what life is like in northern Ontario.

“Like some kids didn’t know how to ice skate or snowshoe,” said Brayson McGregor, 11.

The “home-home” exchange program between the two hockey clubs was intended to introduce young players to new experiences and make new friends. Organizers also hope it will promote understanding between the two teams so far apart by location.

Visit 3.-5. February was the second part of the exchange. In November, the Whitefish River youth visited Toronto and Brayson said he still remembers the differences.

“They don’t have as many bushes as we do,” he said.

One youth support worker said the Whitefish River children were so excited to see their Toronto friends again that they tried to remember their secret handshakes.

Ice Hockey Skills Camp

The Scarborough Ice Raiders under 11 team traveled about 500 kilometers north to the First Nation. The community invited a group of guests for language lessons, community parties and snowshoeing.

Both teams also participated in the Three Nolans hockey camp run by former NHL coach Ted Nolan and his two sons.

Ted Nolan said he participated in a similar exchange program in the 1960s when his hockey team from the Garden River First Nation visited Oakville, Ont.

“They were like us, not looking down on us; [They] made us feel very comfortable,” said Nolan.

His trip included a chance to watch the Maple Leafs practice at Maple Leaf Gardens. But Nolan’s exchange did not include the Oakville players headed to his home community. Nolan said he also would have liked to showcase his community.

Social activities

The children of Siikajoki were given this opportunity and took their peers with them on slides and ice skating, and the community invited two teams to a powwow event.

“It was fun going to the powwow because I saw all the Scarboroughs and my friends dancing and it was pretty cool,” said 10-year-old Deacon Jacko.

Steve Whitaker, principal of Whitefish River School, said he hopes both groups of kids will grow from this experience.

She hopes that Indigenous culture will not seem so foreign to non-Indigenous children, and that children in the community will leave with a better understanding of who they are.

“This builds pride in who they are and helps build an identity,” Whitaker said.

He helped organize the exchange program with Mike Purdy, director of the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

Purdy said they hope that with the success of the pilot program, they can offer other northern communities greater access to the sport in the future. She said she hopes the children will make lasting friendships.